Saguaro National Park - Wildlife

Although the Sonoran Desert can seem foreboding, it is home to many animal species. These animals have adapted to the desert’s high temperatures and scarce water supply. Many species simply avoid the hot daytime temperatures by being active only at night or by seeking shelter in shaded nests or burrows. Others have features that allow them to stay cool - the jackrabbit’s large ears allow heat to radiate away from its body, and vultures actually urinate on themselves to dissipate heat!

Saguaro National Park contains a great variety of unusual animals, some of which can only be found in southern Arizona. Roadrunners, horned lizards, Gila monsters, kangaroo rats, and collared peccaries are all seen regularly by visitors. Although Saguaro NP lies on the edge of the Sonoran Desert, Mica Mountain in the Rincon Mountain District reaches more then 8600’ in height. This altitude allows for cooler temperatures and pine trees, as well as mammals such as black bears and white-tailed deer. The park is also home to species more commonly associated with the tropics, such as coati. Precious, often hidden desert waters contain aquatic leopard frogs and mud turtles.

MAMMALS OF SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK

Mammalian species are found throughout Saguaro National Park. Mammals are characterized by their fur and the ability to nurse their young with milk from modified sweat glands called mammary glands. Mammals are warm-blooded, or endothermic. Bats, the only flying mammal, are numerous throughout the park, as are bobcats and javelina.

Bobcats of Saguaro

Bobcats, also known as wildcats, are much smaller than mountain lions and easily distinguished by their short tails. These cats do well around the park borders of urban Tucson where food like rabbits and quail are extremely abundant. Despite their relatively small size, reports have cited bobcats preying on animals as large as adult deer.

Total length: 28-49 inches (71-125 cm)

Weight: 15-29 pounds (7-13 kg)

Diet: Small rodents, rabbits, squirrels, birds and carrion

Javelina or Collared Peccary of Saguaro

Javelina, or collared peccaries, have a limited distribution in the U.S. but are common at Saguaro National Park. They live in groups of 4 - 20 individuals led by an aged, experienced female. Javelina have scent glands on their lower backs. Within a herd, javelina often rub against one another, giving each herd a distinctive smell (at least to other javelina). Though similar in appearance, they are not pigs and differ from pigs in both behavior and physiology.

The elusive mountain lion is the most powerful predator at Saguaro National Park. It is found in both districts. They have the ability to kill prey larger than themselves and can leap 20 feet (6.1 m) or more! Their jaws are so strong that they can bite through the shells of adult desert tortoises, something no other predator in the Sonoran Desert can do.

Total length: Up to 6 feet (1.5 m)

Weight: 75- 145 pounds (34 to 66 kg)

Diet: Mule deer, white-tailed deer, javelina, jackrabbits, squirrels

Saguaro National Park - Ecology

Saguaro National Park is located within a desert, but contrary to what you might expect, there is an abundance of life. Plants here are adapted to drought, so during long dry periods they are able to go dormant, conserving their water. At these times, many plants appear lifeless, but shortly after a rainfall these plants are able to come to life sprouting new green leaves. If you like green, you will especially enjoy Saguaro National Park during the rainy seasons. Within just 48 hours after a rainfall, the ocotillo plant is able to change from what appeared to be a handful of dead sticks into a cheerful shrub with tall green branches, covered in new leaves.

Growing at Saguaro National Park, Rincon Mountain District are more than 1,162 species of plants ranging from desert vegetation such as cacti, ocotillo, and creosote in the lower elevations all the way to ponderosa pine, oak, and Douglas-fir in the upper elevations of the Rincon Mountains. The Tucson Mountain District is home to 512 species of plants.

The Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro National Park includes terrain from under 2,500 feet elevation to 8,666 feet elevation. The varied elevation within the park’s boundaries allows for a great variety of different species, found in 6 different plant communities. Saguaro National Park is thought to be home to ten species of Threatened, Endangered, or Sensitive plants. Seventy-eight non-native species of plants have made homes in the Rincon Mountain District in recent years, while 47 non-natives have established themselves in the Tucson Mountain District. The Exotic Plant program, with help from volunteers, maps and removes non-native species from both districts of the park.

CACTI - DESERT SUCCULENTS
Saguaro National Park is home to 25 species of cactus ranging from the towering saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) to the tiniest type of cactus in the park, the mammillaria (Mammillaria spp).

The most common cactus species at Saguaro National Park and within Tucson, Arizona include:

Both districts of the park are open from 7:00 a.m. to sunset daily. Both districts of the park offer a visitor center with operating hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, except closed on Christmas Day.

Seasons

Tucson is known for its mild winters and hot summers. Tucson has two rainy seasons, the summer rainy season, which generally runs from July through August and the winter rainy season, which generally runs from December through January. Because of our temperate winter climate, the heaviest visitation generally comes between November and April.

Saguaro National Park - Directions

Traveling By Car

Getting to the Rincon Mountain District from the City of Tucson

Travel east on Broadway or Speedway Boulevard to Freeman Road (turn right on Freeman Road). Drive south on Freeman Road (4 miles [6.5 kilometers] from Speedway, 3 miles [5 kilometers] from Broadway) to Old Spanish Trail. Turn left on Old Spanish Trail. Drive .25 miles (.4 kilometers) southeast on Old Spanish Trail to the Park entrance on the left side of the road.

Getting to the Rincon Mountain District from Interstate 10

Primary Route from I-10

Exit I-10 at exit # 275 (Houghton Road) and drive 9.5 miles (15 kilometers) north to Old Spanish Trail and turn right. Drive 3 miles (5 kilometers) southeast on Old Spanish Trail and the park entrance, which will be on the left side of the road.

Alternate route from I-10

For a more scenic alternate route, take exit #279 (Colossal Cave Road) and go north for 3.5 miles (5.5 kilometers) to Pistol Hill Road and turn left. Drive 2 miles (3 kilometers) northeast on Pistol Hill Road to Old Spanish Trail and turn left. Proceed north on Old Spanish Trail 11 miles (17.5 kilometers) to the park entrance, which will be on your right.

Getting to the Tucson Mountain District from the City of Tucson

Travel west on Speedway Boulevard. At the junction of Camino de Oeste, Speedway Boulevard will change names to Gates Pass Road. From this junction, drive 4 miles (6.5 kilometers) west on Gates Pass Road until it ends at Kinney Road (turn right on Kinney Road). Drive 3 miles (5 kilometers) north on Kinney Road to the Park entrance (entrance will be on the right side of the road). This route is not suitable for vehicles over 25 feet in length.

Getting to the Tucson Mountain District from Interstate 10

Primary Route from I-10

If you are traveling eastbound, there is one direction sign at Exit # 242, which is called the Avra Valley Road. Drive 5 miles (8 kilometers) west on Avra Valley Road to Sandario Road (turn left on Sandario Road). Drive 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) south on Sandario Road to Kinney Road (turn left on Kinney Road). The visitor center is 2 miles (3 kilometers) down Kinney Road on the left side of the road.

Alternate Route from I-10

Take exit #248, which is called Ina Road and drive west 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) to Wade Road and turn left. Drive .6 miles (1 kilometer) to a big curve. At this point, Wade Road will change names to Picture Rocks Road. Drive 6 miles (10 kilometers) west on Picture Rocks Road to Sandario Road and turn left. While on Picture Rocks Road you will enter and exit Saguaro National Park. Drive 3.5 miles (5.5 kilometers) south on Sandario Road to Kinney Road and turn left. Drive 2 miles (3 kilometers) down Kinney Road to the visitor center, which will be on your left.

Getting to the Tucson Mountain District from Interstate 19

Interstate 19 is a rather short route beginning in Tucson at Interstate 10 and going south to the border of Mexico at Nogales, Arizona. Take I-19 south to Ajo Way (exit 99) then go west on Ajo Way (also known as Highway 86) to Kinney Road and turn right and head north, follow the signs to the park.